Nightwing: The Father of Death
by Kevin Carroll
Summary: In his younger years, Dick Grayson discovered his demons and decided to use them to help others. Being sent from Gotham to Bludhaven, the young hero comes across his future team members and villains. Once discovered he's residing in the slum city, Deathstroke sends his apprentice the Huntress to unravel his intentions as he teaches her to become a killer.


NIGHTWING:

THE FATHER OF DEATH

Bruce Wayne, otherwise known as the Batman to Gotham's criminal underworld adopted a young man while witnessing his parents' death. Some say the family was murdered others believe it was just an accident waiting to happen. "The Flying Grayson's" they were called, performing death defying acrobatics for the Gotham Circus the family was the closest thing to Hollywood celebrities. Richard, the youngest was one of the most admirable of the group, mainly used as a 'leaper' his father's hand was always there to catch him should he fall. Pictures all around Gotham city of the Dynamic Trio with little Richard in the center of his mother and father.

Even with the most watched and highly rated performances the family almost always came up short working under a man named Osborne Wallace, the crowd announcer collected nearly 40% from all of his performers, no exceptions. Even as a young boy, Richard noticed his parents acting strange in the later days of their lives. Packing suitcases and always looking over their shoulders the Grayson's prepared for one last performance and a getaway that would surely risk their lives. Knowing this Richard's father came to him before the act as he powdered his hands with flour, Dick: "Hey Richie, got a minute?" his father calls from across the hallway leading to the stage as fans roar and cheer for the Grayson's the animals locked in their cages reply with twice the volume. Richard: "Yeah pops, what's up?" he asks in a quiet mumble.

Dick: "Listen, your mother and I are preforming tonight, alone." He says calmly. Richard: "What about me? It's always the three of us, the people know us as the Dynamic Trio." Hesitatingly his father tries to find the right words to say to his son to assure him and keep him from preforming, but he knows his boy, and his persistence will surely have him walk away. Richard: "Dad. What's wrong?" he asks. Dick: "You're almost a young man, do you know what that means?" He asks his now terrified son as he wipes the tears from his face. Richard: "It means you will never, ever have to be told what to do by anyone but yourself, you got me? I swear to God I will never ask you to do anything you don't want to do again for the rest of your life if you do this one thing for me and sit in the bleachers and watch your mother and I preform." His son breaks down crying in his arms as they both know something terrible is locked in their fate, something inescapable for the both of them.

Dick: "If anything should happen, listen now, if anything should happen to your mother and me than I want you to run, Richie! You hear me! You don't stop for Mr. Wallace or any of his freaks you got me Richie?" Now bringing himself to tears he holds his son for what he knows will be the last time. Dick: "I want to be with you and mom!" He cries. Dick: "I know, son! But we'll be with you! Dick holds his sons shoulders and points to the middle of his chest. Richard: "We'll be here, always!" Kissing him on top of his head he releases his son who holds onto his father's shirt tightly as he pry's him off. Little Richard watches his father make his way to the stage as the crowd screams louder, behind him is a caged lion named Lilith who performed earlier that night roars to drown out the loud applause. It addresses something terrifying in Richards's heart giving him absolute abandonment and hopelessness.

Watching in the crowd a scared and broken boy almost vanishes in his stillness and misery as the previously cheering people no scream in horror as the two daredevils fall to their deaths with their bodies piercing through the hard wood floors from almost eighty-five feet in the air. He doesn't move, no running or crawling under the panicked crowed the young man just stares at his feet. Standing across the bleachers is an elegantly dressed man with a square chin just watching him as the two make eye contact. It seemed weird to Richard above all that happened that night to see a man he thought he had seen before almost as if he knew or understood what was happening to Richard. Now covering his line of sight is Mr. Wallace's chest, tall and brooding with a scared face from a vicious tiger attack when he was a boy, he stares down at young Richie.

Mr. Wallace: "Sorry to hear about your parents, boy." He slowly pulls a pocket knife from his black trench coat. Mr. Wallace: "However I'm even sorrier to make my next move. You should have stayed with your mommy and daddy, it would have been quicker…!" Almost allowing Mr. Wallace to stab him in his stomach Richard doesn't move, but the man who stood across him from the other side of the circus appears almost out of thin air and stops Wallace's hand from piercing Richard. Bruce: "I'm going to hurt you. Then you're going to go call the cops." The man grunts as he dislocates Mr. Wallace's shoulder and shoves the misplaced bone into his collar bone with an awesome amount of strength and precision.

The now crippled crook shoves and hustles his way past the crowd trying to make a path to his phone upstairs in the office. Richard: "What's your name, mister?" he asks with tears streaming down his face. Bruce: "My name is Bruce, Richard. I'm going to take you home, okay?" he replies reassuringly. Some people from the crowd reported what happened that night, the Grayson's fell to their death, Mr. Wallace's Fabulous Circus was never to be reopened, Mr. Wallace himself claimed he dislocated his arm trying to save the Grayson's, and the last people to see little Richard Grayson said he was sitting in the same seat he had sat in all night and starred at Mr. Wayne as they both shared a smile. It was the last time anyone reported young Grayson's appearance, until now…


End file.
